The coal that we find in soil near our home
probably was mined here in Illinois or nearby
Midwestern states. It was brought to our
neighborhood about 50 to 100 years ago,
when most people had coal-burning furnaces
to heat their homes.

The coal that we find along railroad tracks and
beaches may have been brought here by trains
or boats from the either the Midwestern or
Western United States.

Coal formed from thick layers of dead plants
that piled up in ancient swamps. The dead-plant
layers were buried deeper and deeper under
even thicker layers of sand and mud. During
burial, pressure and heat changed the plant
material into coal.

All this took place millions of years ago. Coal
from the Western United States usually formed
during or after dinosaur times (about 50 to 100
million years ago). Coal from Illinois and nearby
states formed long before dinosaur times (about
300 million years ago).

There is a huge amount of information about coal on the Web!
However, most of it is written for adults. Many of the sites that have
been developed for children have been created by the coal industry.
Some of these sites seem to advocate for the use of coal in ways
that some environmentalists might not support. So, surf for coal with
an open-but-wary mind!

Coal Country is an multimedia introduction to coal and
its uses,
suitable for elementary school students. You can access both
the online preview and the downloadable version here:
< http://energy.er.usgs.gov/products/cc/
>